Let’s add pepper spray to the list of things not to bring to a gunfight.

A would be robber attempted to rob an Iowa textbook store using a can of pepper spray. He put the spray right in the face of 22 year old Jessica McDonald and demanded money from the register.

As the store’s phone started ringing, Jessica slowly inched towards the phone, which happened to be near the store’s safe.

Inside the safe was a Springfield XD 9mm handgun that was placed there by the bookstore’s manager for the protection of all of the store’s employees.

Jessica was able to draw the gun and chase the would be thief out of the store.

According to local media outlet KCCI, Jessica wasn’t always sure about the presence of the gun, but is now thankful for the forethought of her manager,

Paul Tigges, the store’s manager, said the firearm was put there for employees’ safety.

“Anything could happen had we not had that firearm in that store and she did not have access to it,” Tigges said. “We’ll never know what might have happened.”

McDonald said she was surprised initially when she learned the gun was there.

“It was shocking to me when I started here that there is a gun and I always thought it was over the top and we didn’t need it, but I’m very glad that we have it,” she said.

This incident is the most common type of defensive gun use. That is, one in which no shots were fired and no one was hurt. Despite this being the most common type of defensive gun use, these incidents are often not included in statistics about defensive gun uses. Many of these statistics and studies focus solely on justifiable homicides.